These healthy chocolate peanut butter protein bars are the perfect post-workout reward.
Line a 10X10 inch baking pan with parchment paper.
Place all of the ingredients, except for chocolate, in a large mixing bowl, stir until well combined using a fork, then use your hands to finish mixing the dough into a semi-hard ball.
Press the dough evenly into the baking pan using your hands.
Transfer the baking pan to the freezer. Freeze overnight or for more than 4 hours.
When you are ready to finish the bars, melt the chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and place it near your saucepan. (Make sure there is no heat coming from underneath the cookie sheet if you decide to place it directly on the oven aside the saucepan. I know, available counter space can get sparse, sometimes!)
Take the baking pan out of the freezer and place the frozen slab of dough on a large cutting board, removing the parchment paper. Cut the slab into bars using a long, sharp knife. The number of bars you make is up to you. (This recipe's nutritional information was calculated for 12 bars)
Wait until your chocolate is completely liquid, then hold a bar over the melted chocolate. (Use a fork or any other similar tool and place it under the bar to hold it.) Using a spoon, slowly pour some liquid chocolate over the bar making sure to coat it entirely and as evenly as possible. Place the bar on the cookie sheet
Repeat the previous step for every single bar.
Transfer the cookie sheet to the refrigerator or freezer to solidify the chocolate coating for about 30 minutes.
These bars are shelf-stable and can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days in a sealed container. 7 days in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.
* See notes for additional storing instructions.
*I store my bars in the fridge, they just taste better this way! If you plan on freezing them for several weeks, you can wrap them in plastic individually or in stacks of 2-3 with a layer of parchment paper between each bar. Allow the bars to thaw for a good 30 minutes at room temp before eating. (I don't want you to break a tooth!)
Note: Nutrition information was calculated using the whey version of this recipe only.